Former first division football player Shekhar Chakraborty lodged a complaint with the State Human Rights Commission on Thursday, alleging police atrocities. Chakraborty, now a businessman, said he was returning from Diamond Harbour on his two-wheeler on July 1 when policemen on night duty asked him to stop. As he failed to stop the vehicle instantly, they hit him on his leg. They later allowed him to go after checking his papers. But his injury turned out to be serious, as diagnosed by doctors of SSKM Hospital. The resident of Thakurpukur approached the local police station to lodge a complaint. But he was referred to Diamond Harbour police station. The incident took place in an area under that thana’s jurisdiction. The Diamond Harbour police accepted the complaint, but did not take any action. So, Chakraborty approached the Human Rights Commission “for justice”. Sub-divisional police officer of Diamond Harbour, Mehmood Akhtar, however, said: “Chakraborty was drunk when my men intercepted him to verify his documents. There is no question of their causing any injury to him.” But Chakraborty has denied the charge, saying he could not have shown the papers if he were drunk.

Justice A. Mitra of Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Council for Higher Secondary Education to reassess the answerscripts of three papers of Rajibul Islam, a student of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission who stood 14th in Higher Secondary 2002. The court ordered that the scripts be examined by senior examiners within two months. Rajibul, who stood first in Madhyamik, filed a petition seeking an order asking the board to produce his answer-scripts in three subjects as he was not satisfied with the marks.

Seven-year-old Sheikh Kallu was drowned on Thursday morning in the canal on Canal West Road in the Narkeldanga police station area. Police said the boy, along with his 10-year-old brother, Sheikh Feku, was trying to cross the canal when both were swept away. The older boy managed to swim ashore.

The state on Thursday filed an appeal against a recent judgment of the city sessions court acquitting Tamal Ghosh, a sub-inspector of Calcutta Police, from the charge of rape. The police had initiated a case against the inspector after a pavement dweller alleged that Ghosh had raped her on the midnight of August 26, 1996.

Kala Dey, 35, a liquor trader, was killed by unknown assailants near the city airport on Wednesday night. He was closing his shop around 11 pm when he was surrounded by three youths with their faces covered who later shot him. Dey, who was seriously wounded, was taken to Nilratan Sirkar Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

One person was arrested on Thursday in connection with a dacoity in the Sealdah-bound Kalyani local on Wednesday night. Government Railway Police sources said four dacoits boarded the train pretending to be passengers. The train reached Bidhannagar around 11 pm. As soon as it left Bidhannagar, the dacoits attacked other passengers. They forced the passengers to give up their cash and jewellery and got down at Kankurgachhi signal point. One person was injured when he tried to resist them. Passengers lodged a complaint with the Sealdah GRP office, on the basis of which one man was picked up. Raids are being conducted by the GRP to nab the other members of the gang, officials said.

The plan for the third phase of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass from Chingrihata to Baguiati was finalised on Thursday when engineers of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and the public works department (PWD) met chief secretary S.N. Roy. PWD minister Amar Chowdhury announced that work on the 4.5-km stretch will commence by January 2004 and will cost Rs 85 crore. The CMDA will construct the road.